Bistro at Hotel du Vin - Glasgow

Recently voted Best Restaurant of the Year by The List, The Bistro follows in some fairly illustrious footsteps, but by all accounts seems to have got the formula right this time.

One of Scotland's finest luxury boutique hotels, it has as its centre the Bistro, which has been enhanced by a new bar and bistro which sets new standards of excellence. Black venetian blinds block out the light, the noise of traffic on the Great Western road, and anything else that might disrupt the carefully choreographed interior. A daily changing menu offers great classic and modern dishes, with a Scottish influence carefully woven into some of them. Prices in this neck of the woods have not always been quite of this world, but they are now and the quality is also much improved.

The à la carte could start with pressed smoked eel and confit cabbage terrine, followed by butter roasted loin of Border lamb, with anchovy beignet, and a coffee and rum soufflé with peanut butter ice cream to draw a graceful curtain on the meal.

A nice touch is the simple classics menu starting with, say, a light creamed velouté of cauliflower. For main courses there is three pepper crusted fillet steak with green peppercorn sauce, or perhaps a seafood ragout with pommes mousseline. Vegetarians may be inspired by the Lanark blue cheese soufflé served with a salad of mixed leaf herbs and truffle vinaigrette. Afternoon teas are served, just choose between traditional, champagne or pink, but do not lose sight of the fact that the perpetuation of the classics does not run to the price of afternoon teas, which no longer represent a cheap option.

And whilst we are on the subject of Scottish teas, when are we going to see a return to the classic Scots high tea? Probably never in these carbohydrate conscious days, I fear.